My second impression of Shannon was no better than the first. She had not heard from Mark as she had expected, and so she skipped her class for the day to stay home and sulk. I cannot understand why someone has so little drive or motivation—does she not even respect herself?
I was confused and frustrated, so I went to speak to Danit.
“I hate that I feel this way, but I keep looking for good in her and I can’t see it,” I said. “I think she is lazy and arrogant and vindictive and entitled—”
Danit raised one hand, shaking her head. “Asa’el, you have known her less than a full day.”
I sank back, chastised. “Yes, I know.”
She sighed. “I thought you might have trouble with this one. You have been fortunate to have very bright people as your charges. The fact is that there are many humans who carry much darkness and believe themselves to be good people. Their shadows do not mean that they are irredeemable, however. Shannon has a chance to do good in the world, and it has been decided that you will have the best chance of our brothers and sisters to reach her.”
Of all the angels in the sky, I am the one? “That is a heavy weight to place on me, Danit.”
“And yet who better to manage it, Asa’el?” She smiled and took my arm. “Come. Let me show you what good you have done, and not just for our earth-bound siblings.”
She brought me back to the Garden, though not to Shannon’s home. Instead, we found ourselves in a home I know very well.
“This is Jesse’s home!” I exclaimed, looking around. The little house was much the same, with its picturesque outlook over the pond and the trees changing colors around it. There were a few differences, however. Where before Jesse’s pottery was confined to his garage, now pieces of it were in evidence on the kitchen table and beside the front door. There was a large white van parked in the driveway, with the words “Bishop Repair Service” painted on the side. And off in another room, someone was humming.
We felt the presence of one of our siblings, and a sister Cupid joined us, looking with surprise and delight at the two of us. “Danit! Asa’el! What a joy! Welcome.”
I could only stare at Nozomi. I hardly recognized her. She stands tall, her wings back and no longer hiding her form. Her aura has lost its shadows and glows with contentment and confidence.
“Sister, you look wonderful,” I told her.
She beamed and held out her hands to me. “That is thanks to you, Asa’el. Have you come to see Jesse and Ramona? They are flourishing, I am proud to say.”
I wanted to ask her how she credited her wellness to me, but at that moment Ramona came into the room. She was the one humming, and indeed she seems veritably full of music. Her feet seem to dance and her hair to swing with the rhythm of her happiness. As she dusted her way around the house, she paused for one moment to look out the window, and sighed with pure bliss.
“She lives here now,” Nozomi explained to Danit and me. “She has her own business, and it is going very well—so well, in fact, that she and Jesse are talking about his quitting his job so he can focus on his art.”
“That is wonderful!” I know how much both of them have hoped for these things. And to be living together! They seem so happy.
“Nozomi will soon be taken off their case,” Danit told me. “We believe that they have reached a point that they are safe, and Nozomi’s skills are needed elsewhere.”
Nozomi flushed, but it was not with the same self-consciousness that she had before, simply pleasure in Danit’s approval.
“I am so very happy for you, sister,” I said, and I was, and I am. I am overflowing with joy that Nozomi has been so well healed.
The door opened, and Ramona turned, still humming. She trotted over to Jesse and took his briefcase, loosening his tie and kissing his cheek. He laughed, slipping an arm around her waist to give her a quick squeeze. Then he let her go. There were no words spoken between them, no need for more complicated greetings, because between them is a connection that is rooted in familiarity and trust. She sat down to sort through his papers for him while he changed into more comfortable clothing, and then together they prepared dinner. It was like Myrtle’s well-choreographed dance: they know one another so well now that each anticipates the others’ moves and supports them perfectly. It was marvelous to watch.
“You have done well,” I told Nozomi.
“Yes, but you began this, brother,” she said, taking my hand. “And it was you who gave me the confidence I would need.” She looked up at my face, her eyes bright. “You trusted me when I did not deserve trust, and so I became trustworthy because I did not want to disappoint you. I do not forget it, and I never shall.”
I did not know what to say. I could only wrap my wings around her and stand together as we watched these people whom we both love.
I have learned the lesson that Danit wanted me to learn, I think. The trust I placed in Nozomi made her trustworthy, and so I must give love to Shannon even if it does not seem that she deserves love. This is my task, and I will take it on. I will be patient and kind, and I will find the good in this woman, even if I have to create it myself.